The city of Cuenca was built by the moors as a fortified city on a hill surrounded by the valleys of the Júcar and the Huécar rivers. It developed a textile industry and became an important city during the caliphate of Córdoba. The city was conquered in 1177 by Alfonso VIII of Castille, became christianized and had a council and episcopal see. The city began to expand down the crest of the hill, and became an important manufacturing and trading town of the textile industry, in particular cloths and carpets. The city prospered until the early 17th century, when the increase of the price of wool caused an economic crisis and the collapse of the textile industry.